ST1: Terrifying Transporter

[Beam Brain]

Star Trek: The Motion Picture. There is not much motion or emotion on this. Growing up on TOS I was thrilled when they answered Star Wars with a Trek movie but I didn't expect it to be so yawn.....

My Observations:

• Yes We See The Enterprise: They spent forever showing the ship off. I get it, they redesigned it but Kirk was chomping at the bit to get out there and Scotty takes him on the grand tour and then when it left dock, they focused on it again. Too much.
• Holy Horrible Transport Batman!: The transporter accident was well done (that sounds sadistic, doesn't it?). That leaves scars on one's brain. I cannot even imagine what it would be like to form with body parts connecting to the wrong locations....YIKES! That part was hard to watch.
• Phasers Channeled Through The Main Engines: What could possibly go wrong? One would think that if they lose the mains the phasers shouldn't work. They must have overlooked that when ST2 came out since the phasers fired on aux power. Who doesn't like hearing Chekov call out in a distorted voice "Torpedo Away!"
• Like Father, Like Son: Both Decker Sr and Decker Jr went out with a bang. So much for carrying on the family line. Oh well, Decker Jr Jr would have gone out in a blaze or glory too. After all it runs in the family. But why would Will trade his life for melding with a machine? I wouldn't want to serve on a ship he is commanding.

That is my lame input on the first one. One step closer to getting my 14 posts in....

 

[Maurice]

FYI, you don't need to start threads to get your 14 posts in. You can just reply to threads you find interesting.

 

[Beam Brain]

FYI, you don't need to start threads to get your 14 posts in. You can just reply to threads you find interesting.

Well that helps Thanks!

 

[XCV330]

Phasers Channeled Through The Main Engines: What could possibly go wrong? One would think that if they lose the mains the phasers shouldn't work. They must have overlooked that when ST2 came out since the phasers fired on aux power.

seems like a really bad design choice. No redundancy.. no worse, the opposite of redundancy. "

"Crap. The windshield is fogging up and the car is starting to slip on patches of ice. I'll turn on the defroster and drive more slowly"

"NO! BELAY that order! The defroster is now coupled directly to the cylinder heads which feeds back into the traction control and then into the fuel tank. you'll kill us all!"

Kirk clearly was not involved in the design review. I feel like ADMIRAL (in my best Montalban) Kirk tore someone a new ventilator shaft after this was over and got that particular snafu fixed.

Who doesn't like hearing Chekov call out in a distorted voice "Torpedo Away!"

I like that bit. You can hear his relief at getting SOMETHING to work at that moment.

But why would Will trade his life for melding with a machine? I wouldn't want to serve on a ship he is commanding.

he had a chance to be with Ilia again?

 

[fireproof78]

But why would Will trade his life for melding with a machine? I wouldn't want to serve on a ship he is commanding.

What does one have to do with the other? This isn't just a machine but a machine who possess, in some way, his lost love. Why would he not engage in that opportunity to experience that love again, and to share it with a new life form, boldly going as it were? Unless Decker has long lost loves all around the galaxy I don't see the problem with his being in command.

 

[Kor]

... But why would Will trade his life for melding with a machine? I wouldn't want to serve on a ship he is commanding.
...

Because it wasn't just a machine. It was Ilia, the one being in all the universe who he had been aching to "join with" for years but had never been able to because of her Oath of Celibacy (tm), and, according to novels, the certainty of having his brains scrambled from the experience if the Deltan oath was broken. But now as a merged superior being, they would be perpetually "joined" for all time in sublime, ecstatic bliss.

Kor

 

[Vger23]

Honestly, as polarizing as TMP can be for some people....it is probably the least "plot hole-ridden" of the entire movie franchise. Other than the silly notion of the Enterprise being the only ship between V'Ger and Earth, it's pretty solid from an internal consistency and logic standpoint.

 

[Maurice]

Only “starship”. Earlier drafts of the script had the light cruiser Aswan in position to intercept first, but it was immediately destroyed.

 

[BillJ]

Only “starship”. Earlier drafts of the script had the light cruiser Aswan in position to intercept first, but it was immediately destroyed.

I take it they were replaced with Epsilon IX?

 

[Maurice]

I take it they were replaced with Epsilon IX?

That was pretty much always there.

 

[Alisa K]

Star Trek: The Motion Picture. There is not much motion or emotion on this.

Yup. Sums it up pretty well.

 

[publiusr]

Only “starship”. Earlier drafts of the script had the light cruiser Aswan in position to intercept first, but it was immediately destroyed.

Any drawings of that craft?

 

[Maurice]

Any drawings of that craft?

No. It was not to appear on camera. They would get a message from it before V’ger annihilated it.

 

[Therin of Andor]

• Holy Horrible Transport Batman!: The transporter accident was well done (that sounds sadistic, doesn't it?). That leaves scars on one's brain. I cannot even imagine what it would be like to form with body parts connecting to the wrong locations....YIKES! That part was hard to watch.

Sonak Night Fever by Ian McLean, on Flickr

 

[Vger23]

Sonak Night Fever by Ian McLean, on Flickr

Too soon, Therin….still too soon.

 

[dupersuper]

Too soon, Therin….still too soon.

Of course it's too soon, it won't even happen for 251 years.

 

[somebuddyX]

I feel the same way about TMP as I do about TNG Season 1, in that I don't like the stories but I like the look and feel of the universe. I think the opening Klingon battle is great and always liked Epsilon IX just floating out there in the middle of nowhere.

 

[publiusr]

That was up there with Cygnus in terms of complexity. I wonder.

You saw more vehicles and stations in TMP than before or since:

Orbital Office
Dry dock
Epsilon Sensor Picket
Vulcan Shuttle
Work Bee
Sky Tram
Ktinga
Enterprise
V’ger.

Now, I think there is a story to that malfunction. Too early to be a Cartwright/Morrow conspiracy….could something else have been going on?

I blame it on the base….maybe those two got ‘noticed’ by….

 

[Falconer]

But WHY did they keep the transporter accident in the movie? Wasn’t it originally to explain why they were stuck with such a young Vulcan (Xon)?

Not to mention, “It wasn’t your fault, Rand” — no-one was thinking it till you said it, dude!

 

[Therin of Andor]

But WHY did they keep the transporter accident in the movie? Wasn’t it originally to explain why they were stuck with such a young Vulcan (Xon)?

Yes. In "In Thy Image", a Commander Ronak (not Sonak) is killed in the transporter, meaning that young Lieutenant Xon is assigned as his replacement.

It adds some danger to the story, emphasises that the ship is not really ready, and also sets up McCoy's displeasure in transporters later (an in-joke for regular TOS fans not anticipated by general audiences).